Case Number 05225

GROUCHO MARX: YOU BET YOUR LIFE, THE BEST EPISODES

The Charge

And now...the one...the only...GROUCHO!

Opening Statement

In preparation for this review, I read Groucho Marx's 1959 autobiography
Groucho and Me. After struggling to come up with a decent summation to
describe how this program came to be, I decided: Who better to tell it than
Groucho himself? The following excerpt comes from the fittingly titled chapter
"You Bet Your Life":

A very nice man, who for some curious reason thought he was beholden to
me...used to produce a show for the Walgreen Drug Company. They did this
spectacle only once a year and they didn't care how much money they spent. The
result was that each year this friend of mine engaged me at a fat salary to do a
five-minute spot with a partner. On this particular show my partner turned out
to be Bob Hope. We both started kidding around with the dialogue, ad-libbing and
generally ignoring the script. Bob, by the way, can take care of himself in this
department.

Now I sound like a real ham, but the truth of it is that the routine was
hilarious. When I came off the stage, a bulky, doubtful looking man sidled over
to me and asked if I would be interested in doing a quiz show. "A quiz
show?" I repeated rather superciliously. "Pardon me, suh, but do you
live in a tree?" He said, "No, but I have many branch
offices!"

I waited until his hysterical laughter subsided, then I continued,
"Well, suh," (I had been drinking Southern Comfort all morning and it
was creeping into my dialogue) "let me tell you-all something. A quiz show
is the lowest form of animal life. Don't you know there are over fifty of them
on the air this very minute, swindling the public in devious ways?" He hung
his head in shame. I learned later that three of these shows were his.

Here I had just done a brilliant five-minute spot with one of America's
great comedians, and before me stood this rather venal looking sneak, offering
me a golden chance to disappear permanently from show business. In high dudgeon
I proudly stalked away to my dressing room near the boiler room in the
cellar.

He was a persistent fellow and apparently immune to insult. Large and
awkward though he was, he somehow scrambled downstairs and arrived in the cellar
before me. "Mr. Marx, I didn't mean to offend you" he whined
apologetically as he offered me a cheap cigar which I quickly stepped on.
"I realize 'quiz show' is an ugly phrase, but I don't want you to do just
another quiz show. Don't you see, Groucho? The quiz part would just be a device
for you to engage in conversation with a lot of strange people and interrogate
them about their lives and their loves. You see, I watched you ad-libbing with
Bob Hope and that's exactly what I would like you to do on my show,
Grouch."

The character then took two pinches of snuff and began sneezing with such
emphasis that all the dormant dust in the dressing room began blowing about,
luckily half concealing me, if only for the moment, from this baleful man. Ten
minutes later, the grime having settled, I eyed him suspiciously and asked
"Suh, do you have a sponsor?" "Grou," he replied (I found
his increasing familiarity almost unbearable, but having been reared carefully I
allowed old baggy pants to gabble on), "don't worry about that. Let me put
this thing together and I predict that in a year the show will be a sensational
success." Despite his dubious appearance, he turned out to be a fairly
accurate prophet.

Facts of the Case

Eighteen classic episodes from the 1950-61 television series You Bet Your
Life have been unearthed for this three-disc collection. All are five-star
classics.

*Episode 56-31 (air date: April 25, 1957) A married contestant flirts
with George Fenneman, prompting one of Groucho's classic ad-libs: "This is
real love. You don't often see that on a quiz show."

*Episode 58-07 (air date: November 6, 1958) One of the very best of
the entire run. Groucho meets an organ grinder whose monkey is a double for the
iron-sharp comedian and a young couple for whom the term "in over your
head" was invented.

*Episode 59-16 (air date: January 8, 1960) Sitcom writer Max Shulman
is the featured guest; Groucho makes a reference to the recent quiz show
scandals.

*Episode 58-01 (air date: September 25, 1958) The first episode in
which DeSoto is not the show's sponsor; Groucho challenges a fencing champion
contestant to a duel. The prize: Miss Finland.

*Episode 60-04 (air date: October 13, 1960) Joy Harmon, whose biggest
claim to fame was a memorable car-washing scene in Cool Hand Luke, makes
her first television appearance opposite Groucho. She would later become his
assistant on the short-lived series Tell It to Groucho.

*Episode 58-19 (air date: January 29, 1959) Groucho meets a man who
blows up an inner tube with his mouth.

*Episode 50-11 (air date: December 14, 1950) The very first appearance
of the trademark duck (which holds both the secret word and the $100 prize
money).

The Evidence

Last spring, A&E aired a special Biography episode listing the 15
greatest comedians of all time. As you may or may not recall, the number one
slot went to Lucille Ball. While she has her admirers, I do not consider her the
greatest comedian of all time. That honor goes to Groucho Marx, who placed
eighth on the same list. I easily consider Groucho to be the greatest comedian
of all time, for many reasons. His razor-sharp wit and rapid delivery helped him
deliver jokes both scripted and ad-libbed. His God-given ability to craft jokes
out of simple situations and absurdities remains unrivaled in comedy today. His
strong screen presence contributed to his extreme ease with crowds both large
and small. Comedians tend to become repetitive, even the better ones, but Marx
remains as fresh and innovative today as he appeared then. Groucho's aura of
unpredictability certainly contributed as well. His generosity with fellow
comedians on screen is evident throughout his work. If you are still
unconvinced, there is no better evidence of Marx's gifts at work than in the 18
episodes featured in Shout! Factory's new three-disc set You Bet Your Life:
The Best Episodes.

You Bet Your Life is far from a normal quiz show. It may be the only
quiz show in television history in which the quiz takes second place to the
host. The real appeal of the program was simply Groucho Marx. People hung on the
edge of their seats, leaning toward the radio or television set, just waiting to
hear what could come out his mouth next. He never disappointed, often cracking
jokes so quickly that the targets were still trying to register his first words.
What makes You Bet Your Life so much fun to watch is the very
unpredictability.

This 18-episode compilation lives up to the billing given by the title:
These truly are the best episodes, at least of the thirty-plus I have seen to
date. Many of the episodes are celebrity oriented, and some may complain that
everyday contestants are more entertaining to watch. I beg to differ; there's
nothing better than seeing a celebrity get roasted, especially by a master such
as Groucho. There is a genuine thrill in seeing wrestling great Wild Red Berry
become steadily more P.O.'d as Groucho keeps digging into whether or not pro
wrestling is fake. (The answer is that, while the ending may be predetermined,
the actual grappling is indeed very real.) The purest comedy offered within this
set occurs when Groucho is given a contestant who doesn't quite catch on to his
good-natured put-downs.

Shout! Factory presents all 18 episodes in their original full-frame format.
Despite the use of original archival prints and a careful frame-by-frame
restoration, the end result is far from perfect. Many imperfections appear in
each episode, the biggest culprits being scratches and specks. Grain also
appears from time to time. Despite these considerable drawbacks, I still think
these transfers look superior. For years, You Bet Your Life rarely
surfaced, except for a few stray episodes in the public domain and endless clip
shows. The footage used for those media was often poor, with a murkiness that
made the viewer wince. Shout! Factory may not have made the blemishes completely
disappear, but they have restored the bright, lush black-and-white photography
to fairly good shape.

Audio is the usual Dolby Digital 2.0 mono mix utilized for most TV-to-DVD
releases. Shout! Factory has done excellent work restoring these sound mixes.
Gone are the crackles, pops, and extreme hiss that have marred earlier public
domain releases. Present are a warmth and clarity unheard since the original
airdates. Some light hiss does remain -- tape hiss will never completely
disappear from many analog recordings -- but it is never a bother. The dialogue
and music are rich and vibrant throughout.

Shout! Factory has put together an impressive package of worthy extras to
supplement The Best Episodes. We begin with the traditional "stag
reels." These are not the stag reels associated with raunchy bachelor
parties but a compilation of the funniest bloopers and outtakes not used in the
weekly series. The notorious blooper featuring the secret-word duck landing
squarely on George Fenneman's head is here not once but twice -- and is
every bit as funny as it is reputed to be. As for video quality, the footage is
in extremely rough shape, with a bombardment of imperfections marring the image.
The sound is often poor, with the dialogue sometimes coming through as a
whisper. Still, if you increase the volume and listen carefully, these reels
provide solid laughs that will make your ribs ache.

Seven outtakes are included, with the option to play within the particular
episodes they are culled from. While they may seem tame by today's standards,
keep in mind that when these shows were taped, this was hot stuff. The important
thing is that they are funny, and indeed, some of Groucho's finest moments occur
in the outtakes.

Several vintage commercials from the original broadcasts have been compiled
into a bonus featurette, which is featured on the second disc. Purists will
undoubtedly complain that the commercials should still be contained within the
episodes. As it is, this is an interesting look at commercial advertising before
it became the money-fueled machine it is today. Of particular note is a
commercial offered as a separate feature: a vintage Creamy Prom commercial
featuring Harpo and Chico Marx. You can also view this commercial within Episode
56-31.

A commentary track for Episode 57-19 features Phyllis Diller. Diller is an
animated speaker who offers unique insights and retrospective thoughts. It is
wonderful that her thoughts were captured while she is still on this planet. The
sole debit regarding this feature is that you cannot access the commentary using
the Audio button on your remote: To access the commentary, you must select it
from the menu.

The recent unearthing of three rare post-You Bet Your Life Groucho
pilots will have many fans jumping for joy:

*What Do You Want? (taped January 1961 during the production of the
final episodes of You Bet Your Life)

With the urge to syndicate You Bet Your Life rising, Groucho and
producer John Guedel decided to create another potential game show and pull the
plug on the still-popular Life. With George Fenneman returning as
announcer and sidekick, production began on the pilot What Do You
Want?.

The format is identical to what would become Tell It to Groucho, but
the end result is far superior. The unique Groucho-Fenneman chemistry is still
intact and sharp. The interviews and pacing are far better than in the eventual
series. Rating: ***1/2

*Tell it to Groucho (taped May 1961; air date: January 11, 1962)

While waiting for a network to pick up What Do You Want?, announcer
George Fenneman ended up getting his own daytime quiz show, Your Surprise
Package. When the time arrived to film a second version of the pilot, now
titled Tell It to Groucho, Fenneman was unavailable. Two former You
Bet Your Life contestants, Jack Wheeler and Joy Harmon, were recruited for
Fenneman's slot. Two contestants from the What Do You Want? pilot were
called back to reshoot their segment.

Despite the fact that the format was taken lock, stock, and barrel from
What Do You Want?, Tell It to Groucho isn't as entertaining or
impressive. As lead assistant, Jack Wheeler lacks the finesse and confidence
that Fenneman had with the camera. He comes across as very green and mellow, and
his rapport with Groucho simply isn't funny or amusing. Harmon is little more
than eye candy; her sole appearance in the pilot is in a spoof of West Side
Story with Groucho as a crotchety Jet. The pacing is more deliberate this
time around, and the program suffers from it. Groucho is still sharp and funny,
but he seems very tired from the grind of network television. Also, the
contestants are simply flat and dull, especially when compared to some of the
livelier ones that appeared on You Bet Your Life. It's surprising that
CBS picked up this pilot for a weekly series. Not as surprising is that CBS
cancelled Tell It to Groucho after twenty episodes. Rating: **

*The Plot Thickens (taped 1963; never aired)

This is a unique spin on the popular panel shows of the time. Created by the
legendary William Castle (House on Haunted Hill), a ten-minute murder
mystery film (scripted by Robert Bloch, who wrote the novel that became
Psycho) is shown to a panel of four panelists (Groucho is one of two
permanent panelists) who attempt to guess who the murderer is. Of course, four
suspects are trotted out for questioning.

I firmly believe that The Plot Thickens could have been one of the
great game shows of the era had a network taken a chance on it. I am a sucker
for mysteries and Groucho, so I am biased already. However, the ten-minute film
is chock full of unique twists and suspense. Host Jack Linkletter (son of Art)
holds his own very well. The endless guessing of whodunit is extremely fun. Of
course, Groucho's questions rank among the funniest ever asked on any
program. Rating: *****

Closing Statement

More often than not, when a studio labels a compilation "the best
of," the end results are disappointing. That is not the case with Shout!
Factory's compilation You Bet Your Life: The Best Episodes. All 18
episodes are truly among the best from the program's 12-season run. Unlike many
quiz shows, You Bet Your Life remains as fresh and innovative as ever,
and Groucho continues to reign as one of the greatest comedians to grace the
screen, small or silver.